SCAA: End results aren't showing for young Hornets, but potential is

The Advance High School varsity boy’s basketball squad has lost nine consecutive games following its 43-38 loss to Bernie in the consolation semifinal on Wednesday in the Stoddard County Athletic Association Tournament at Bloomfield High School.

Overall, the Hornets dropped to 2-15 on the season with the defeat.

And if you ask any opposing coach at the tourney this week, no one wants to deal with Dalton Wilson’s team.

The Hornets dropped both games of the tournament but showed glimpses of potential in both contests.

“I want this program to be respectful to everyone,” Wilson said, “to the coaches, to the players, (and) to the opponents.

“I want us to be a team that is seen as playing hard and getting after it every single day.”

Wilson, who is a former Hornet player and served as an assistant coach in the program for the past seven years, succeeded the now-retired Bubba Wheetley this summer.

Ask Puxico coach Bryant Fernetti if Advance “played hard” against the top-seeded Indians in the opening round on Monday.

“If you’re the high seed in a tournament,” Fernetti said after the 84-66 win, “everybody is going to want to try to beat us.”

The Hornets led Puxico 17-11 after the opening quarter and trailed just 35-33 at the break before Puxico’s depth and experience took over in the second half.

Against Bernie on Wednesday, the game wasn’t decided until the final moments.

In both tournament games, Advance exhibited crisp ball movement, which made it difficult to guard.

“All of these guys are really unselfish,” Wilson said. “For the most part, we love to attack and (then) kick out (to the guards). We are trying to teach them how to read different situations.”

The Hornets have six seniors, but only Andrew Henson, Braylen Carlton, and Ayden Fleming play significant roles.

Against Bernie, Henson and Carlton had 20 of their team’s 38 points while sophomore guard Hunter Rodgers had the other 18.

“To be honest,” Wilson said, “we are really young. None of these guys played varsity minutes (last year) except for (Carlton).

“We’re trying to build basketball IQ with these guys.”

Advance, which has won at least 17 games in 12 of the past 13 seasons, has at least eight games remaining, with only a road test at Woodland (10-4) on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.) being a foe with a winning record currently. As good as the Hornets looked at times in this tourney, there isn’t a game on their schedule that they aren’t capable of winning.

“I’m trying to get them to believe in themselves,” Wilson said.